Manute Bol, best known for being the tallest player in NBA history, has been hospitalized with "total kidney failure", according to Tom Prichard, director of the Sudan reconciliation group, Sudan Sunrise. He also is suffering a painful skin condition, possibly as a reaction to the kidney medication he received while in Africa.

Bol was a second-round pick, 31st overall, of the Washington Bullets in 1985, and played 10 years for four teams-- the Bullets, Warriors, 76ers and Heat. He is second overall in blocks-per-game average, and 14th in total blocked shots.

But far more importantly, Bol has been passionately involved in numerous humanitarian causes, both during and after his NBA career-- most of them relating to fundraising for refugees of his home country, Sudan.

My prayers go out to him and his family that he comes through this.

"Say, the next time you want to win your daughter back, you could just try giving her a pony, the apocalypse doesn’t really cut it!"--The Prince, Prince of Persia (2008)